Alberni District Secondary’s sports teams now have a new name, after following a decision-making process that led to an inherent dynamic of the territory that they call home.

To a gym filled with jubilant fanfare, ADSS announced on Oct. 3 that its sports teams will now bear the name Storm, referencing the Alberni Valley’s long history of harsh weather over the cooler months. Storm replaces the former Armada name, which the school abandoned over a year ago due to it having little meaning for students.

Plunging down into the abyss of the Pacific Ocean along the west coast of Vancouver Island, B.C., a deep-sea droid dubbed ‘Jenny’ embarked on its first major expedition this fall with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and Canpac Marine Services Inc.

Jenny, a roughly $8 million remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of reaching depths of 6,000 metres, is off completing key maintenance tasks on ONC’s offshore subsea 800-kilometre-long cabled observatory infrastructure from Oct. 5 to 12.

Like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, Toquaht citizen Dennis Hetu couldn’t believe his eyes the day he stumbled upon an ancient clam garden in his ḥaḥuułi (traditional territory) on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The action unfolded over 20 years ago, but Hetu remembers it like it was yesterday.

After a harrowing weekend emergency that saw dozens of first responders, law enforcement and support workers pour into the Ditidaht community at Nitinaht Lake, Chief Councillor Judi Thomas is calling on the government of Canada to fulfill their commitment to bring reliable, high-speed internet and cellular service to the remote community.

With the provincial election looming, the words of candidates are being carefully scrutinized, including what Conservative leader John Rustad said earlier this year. On Feb. 1 the former minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation posted this statement on the Conservative Party of BC’s website: “We must also repeal the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was established for conditions in other countries — not Canada.”

Nuu-chah-nulth basketball is back in full swing.

Young players have sights set on the 2025 Junior All Native Tournament (JANT), March 16 to 22, in Kelowna on Syilx Okanagan Territory, while adults are looking towards the All Native Basketball Tournament (ANBT), Feb. 8 to 15 in Prince Rupert, B.C.

Tofino is one of 65 communities from across British Columbia that will collectively receive about $56 million from the province’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF).

It was announced via a news release in mid-September that Tofino is specifically getting $150,000 in funding, which will be utilized towards a Mackenzie Creek restoration project.

Preventative work that will be done with the funding is aimed at helping First Nations and local governments during emergencies by minimizing the risk of disasters.

Tragedy rocked the small village of Nitinaht on Saturday, Sept. 28, with an incident that suddenly brought a heavy police presence to the Ditidaht First Nation community on southwest Vancouver Island.

The early morning incident left one young man dead, while another individual was arrested after multiple RCMP units descended on the village by Nitinaht Lake. On the following day police made a charge of first-degree murder against the individual, who is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 8.

Christie Residential School warrior Rose Tom says she felt like a queen on Sept. 30, Canada’s fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Tom journeyed on a boat from the rocky shores of Meares Island and the site of Kakawis/ old Christie Indian Residential School (IRS) with a pod of fellow warriors, some paddling a dugout canoe and others on support boats, to Tofino’s First Street Dock.  

Warning: The following article contains subject matter related to child abuse and addiction, and may be triggering to some readers.

Attending residential school caused children to emotionally shut down inside, part of a survival tactic that resulted in years of silence about their experience at the assimilationist institutions.